Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century

by Rory Dicker (Editor), Alison Piepmeier

Young women today have benefited from the strides made by grassroots social activists in the 1960s and 1970s, yet they are hesitant to identify themselves as feminists and seem apathetic about carrying the torch of older generations to redress persistent sexism and gender-based barriers. Contesting the notion that we are in a post-feminist age, this provocative collection of original essays identifies a third wave of feminism. The contributors argue that the next generation needs to develop a politicized, collective feminism that both builds on the strategies of second wave feminists and is grounded in the material realities and culture of the twenty-first century.

Organized in five sections that mirror the stages of consciousness-raising, this is an engaging, often edgy, look at a broad range of perspectives on the diversity, complexity, multiplicity, and playfulness of the third wave. It is also a call to action for new voices to redefine a feminism that is not only personally aware but also politically involved.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Womens Studies, Essays

338 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

A native of New York State, Rory Dicker completed her undergraduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee. After teaching for several years at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, she returned to Nashville, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. She teaches classes about women and literature, feminist pedagogy, and the history of American feminisms at Vanderbilt University, where she is the Director of the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center.

Reviews

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this anthology for the contributions by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, as well as Astrid Henry, but I happily continued exploring the contributions by the other writers. This collection seems as important to grasping third wave feminism and its complicated webs as _Manifesta_, bell hooks' _Feminism is for Everybody_ and Rebecca Walker's _To Be Real_.